cherryq
Well-Known Member
Ever since I've been little, my parents have been supportive of me. They remind me of things that I need to do, multiple times if necessary. It took a long time for them to start doing that, though, and they still get upset if I don't remember to do something. I used to have to sit and write sentences over and over about how I would listen and do what I was told to do as a kid. It would always be really upsetting to me because I never recalled being told to do the things I was writing sentences about.
But the fact of the matter is that now they remind me of things constantly. They understand that I need that external motivating factor repeatedly (almost continuously) to get things finished. To get things started even... When I was away from home for my undergrad, they'd call to remind me about stuff or text me to remind me. The problem with that is I don't remember to write that stuff down in a central location, so I still forget to do important things that really ought to be on my to-do list. Good thing is that I had a couple of friends who took over the in-person reminder role that my parents had, so I survived undergrad pretty well.
Now I am on my own though, and I'm realizing just how hard it is to live without a constant in-person reminder to do things. No one says, "It's time to eat." I am solely responsible for cleaning my apartment and making sure bills get paid. I have to use all of the focus in me to successfully cook a meal. I struggle to stay on task in the mornings while getting ready for work and end up leaving between fifteen any thirty minutes late. I pride myself on punctuality, so this last thing really bothers me... I'm really worried for when graduate classes and scholarship meetings start this fall. I'm already behind on that stuff (preparation stuff for grad school) and can't seem to even make a list of the things I need to do. I'm constantly distracted.
This seeming inability/constant struggle with organizing my life, keeping up with deadlines, making to do lists, etc., without external (in-person and continuous) motivation is really stressing me out. I just never realized how hard this was for me until I moved seven hours from home and am living by myself. Are these things associated with executive functioning/dysfunction? I've read through lists discussing ASD and the "executive functioning" struggles associated with it, and I can relate to many things listed. Just wondering if these are actually related... If so, do you have suggestions on how to overcome these issues? My second round of bills is coming up any my schedule will be completely changed (again) in three weeks. I'd really like to have some solid method of (at least attempting to) keeping my life in order by then, if possible. Thanks.
But the fact of the matter is that now they remind me of things constantly. They understand that I need that external motivating factor repeatedly (almost continuously) to get things finished. To get things started even... When I was away from home for my undergrad, they'd call to remind me about stuff or text me to remind me. The problem with that is I don't remember to write that stuff down in a central location, so I still forget to do important things that really ought to be on my to-do list. Good thing is that I had a couple of friends who took over the in-person reminder role that my parents had, so I survived undergrad pretty well.
Now I am on my own though, and I'm realizing just how hard it is to live without a constant in-person reminder to do things. No one says, "It's time to eat." I am solely responsible for cleaning my apartment and making sure bills get paid. I have to use all of the focus in me to successfully cook a meal. I struggle to stay on task in the mornings while getting ready for work and end up leaving between fifteen any thirty minutes late. I pride myself on punctuality, so this last thing really bothers me... I'm really worried for when graduate classes and scholarship meetings start this fall. I'm already behind on that stuff (preparation stuff for grad school) and can't seem to even make a list of the things I need to do. I'm constantly distracted.
This seeming inability/constant struggle with organizing my life, keeping up with deadlines, making to do lists, etc., without external (in-person and continuous) motivation is really stressing me out. I just never realized how hard this was for me until I moved seven hours from home and am living by myself. Are these things associated with executive functioning/dysfunction? I've read through lists discussing ASD and the "executive functioning" struggles associated with it, and I can relate to many things listed. Just wondering if these are actually related... If so, do you have suggestions on how to overcome these issues? My second round of bills is coming up any my schedule will be completely changed (again) in three weeks. I'd really like to have some solid method of (at least attempting to) keeping my life in order by then, if possible. Thanks.